NEWS
The Campbell Newman administration in City Hall has returned fire over Opposition claims that the rezoning of the Howard Smith Wharves precinct was an underhand way of thwarting local opposition to development there.
Lord Mayor Campbell Newman released Labor’s “long-held plans” for a hotel and residential apartments at Howard Smith Wharves. He produced a hard copy of Labor’s Brisbane City Centre Planning Strategy which he said clearly outlined their plan to develop the area.
Central Ward councillor David Hinchliffe in our issue of 1 September said the City Council administration would alter the existing park zoning for Howard Smith Wharves to allow for a hotel and convention centre to built there without the public having a right to object to or appeal the move.
But the Lord Mayor hit back, saying the ALP strategy referred specifically to the redevelopment of Howard Smith Wharves and said any redevelopment of the wharves should add activity to the precinct through the establishment of residential apartments, hotel accommodation, speciality shops and recreation facilities.
He claimed the information came to light “as the local councillor was bumped as spokesman on the issue following a series of his own embarrassing flip flops on the project”.
Cr Newman said Cr David Hinchliffe’s chequered past on the issue had compromised Labor’s position on Howard Smith Wharves and the Opposition Leader appeared to have removed him as spokesman on the project.
“It appears the local councillor has been removed as spokesman because of his history on the project, which includes supporting rezoning, hotels, apartments, restaurants and the development of 50 per cent of the site,” Cr Newman said. “This is in stark contrast with our plan for 80 percent of the site to be redeveloped as public open space.
“Cr Hinchliffe’s past has clearly caught up with him and the Opposition Leader has had to step in but Labor can’t hide from their longstanding plan to build apartments and a hotel on the site.”
The Lord Mayor said that in the past, Cr Hinchliffe had said that about half of the site should be developed. Cr Hinchliffe had also repeatedly supported a boutique hotel to be built on site, admitting this on television as recently as 17 May this year. In the 1990s Labor even supported townhouses be built on the site.
While Cr Hinchliffe was the Planning Chairman, he had helped a Brisbane restaurateur to gather information on relocation options, including becoming a “significant tenant” to “anchor the development” at Howard Smith Wharves. In emails to the restaurateur dated August 26, Cr Hinchliffe had cited that advice in the email from officers would be dependant on the park zoning being changed.
“The Opposition have been out this morning protesting plans to change the zoning, but they have failed to be honest with the local community that this was always their plan,” Cr Newman said.
“This is a clear case of the Opposition misleading the community. In contrast, we have been upfront with the public about our plans for Howard Smith Wharves and have been consulting with the community for over three years."
• Cr Hinchliffe was asked to respond to City Hall’s comments but had not responded as this edition of the paper went to press.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
City an open house
NEWS
An event that will open the secret doors of some of Brisbane’s most intriguing public and private spaces begins next month. Brisbane Open House, an initiative of the Queensland Government Architect and the Brisbane Development Association, will become an annual event on Brisbane’s calendar, with the first being held on Saturday 2 October.
The symbols and ceremony of The Grand Hall at The Masonic Temple in the city centre (see below); the 180-year old excavations by convict gangs that underpin one of Brisbane's oldest buildings, the Commissariat Stores; the 1100 pipes of the old Wurlitzer organ from the city’s Regent Theatre, from the tiniest metal tubes to 10 metre wooden funnels, locked away under the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) – these are some of Brisbane’s historic and architectural gems that will be unlocked for Brisbane Open House.
It will open the secret doors of at least 15 buildings – behind the scenes at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, the Queensland State Library; the spectacular new view of the Brisbane River from the Tri Generation Plant high up in the new Santos Place; the story behind the structure of the Kurilpa Bridge, and more.
Visitors to these buildings and spaces will be given detailed insights from the architects, engineers, planners and users on how they work and what they mean.
Brisbane Development Association executive director John Pettit says the initiative aims to enrich understanding of the city through encouraging residents and visitors to explore, re-examine and engage with Brisbane’s built environment. “We all love our city but don't always get the chance to explore its history and see inside some of our most iconic developments,” Mr Pettit said.
“Visitors will be granted the rare opportunity to explore these developments, in some cases for the first time.
“The mix of historic and modern architecture and engineering is truly fascinating. Simply seeing these buildings from the street makes it difficult to grasp the complexity of design on the inside.
“We hope that Brisbane Open House will open our residents’ eyes to these curious spaces and develop a new appreciation of the wealth of architecture and engineering nestled around our city.”
Masonic Temple the first to open its doors
One hundred and fifty years of Freemason history and architectural intrigue will be unlocked on Saturday 2 October when the lead doors to the Masonic Memorial Temple will swing open for the public to take guided tours of one of the oldest buildings in the state.
Locked behind its giant corinthian columns in Ann Street, the Masonic Memorial Temple is a trove of Freemason history as old as Queensland. The 1930s heritage-listed building is still the centre of Freemason activity in Queensland today, yet its history and architectural intrigue remain a mystery to many. Built as a shrine and monument to accommodate large Masonic events, the grandeur of the Temple’s ceremonial spaces, particularly the Grand Hall and the Court of Remembrance around the Memorial Urn, is stunning.
Designed by Lange Powell, himself a Freemason, during 1928-1930, the Temple was built solely from Queensland materials – sandstone from Helidon and marble from Chillagoe in north Queensland, while its furniture was built on-site during construction using local cedar, maple and silky-oak timber.
It originally cost $260,000 to build and is today heritage listed with a value of more than $14,000,000.
The United Grand Lodge of Queensland’s Deputy Grand Secretary Graham Schulz said the lodge was thrilled to be part of the Brisbane Open House. “We are very proud to be part of Brisbane’s living history network, having celebrated our 150 years last year. We are as old as Queensland itself.”
An event that will open the secret doors of some of Brisbane’s most intriguing public and private spaces begins next month. Brisbane Open House, an initiative of the Queensland Government Architect and the Brisbane Development Association, will become an annual event on Brisbane’s calendar, with the first being held on Saturday 2 October.
The symbols and ceremony of The Grand Hall at The Masonic Temple in the city centre (see below); the 180-year old excavations by convict gangs that underpin one of Brisbane's oldest buildings, the Commissariat Stores; the 1100 pipes of the old Wurlitzer organ from the city’s Regent Theatre, from the tiniest metal tubes to 10 metre wooden funnels, locked away under the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) – these are some of Brisbane’s historic and architectural gems that will be unlocked for Brisbane Open House.
It will open the secret doors of at least 15 buildings – behind the scenes at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, the Queensland State Library; the spectacular new view of the Brisbane River from the Tri Generation Plant high up in the new Santos Place; the story behind the structure of the Kurilpa Bridge, and more.
Visitors to these buildings and spaces will be given detailed insights from the architects, engineers, planners and users on how they work and what they mean.
Brisbane Development Association executive director John Pettit says the initiative aims to enrich understanding of the city through encouraging residents and visitors to explore, re-examine and engage with Brisbane’s built environment. “We all love our city but don't always get the chance to explore its history and see inside some of our most iconic developments,” Mr Pettit said.
“Visitors will be granted the rare opportunity to explore these developments, in some cases for the first time.
“The mix of historic and modern architecture and engineering is truly fascinating. Simply seeing these buildings from the street makes it difficult to grasp the complexity of design on the inside.
“We hope that Brisbane Open House will open our residents’ eyes to these curious spaces and develop a new appreciation of the wealth of architecture and engineering nestled around our city.”
Masonic Temple the first to open its doors
One hundred and fifty years of Freemason history and architectural intrigue will be unlocked on Saturday 2 October when the lead doors to the Masonic Memorial Temple will swing open for the public to take guided tours of one of the oldest buildings in the state.
Locked behind its giant corinthian columns in Ann Street, the Masonic Memorial Temple is a trove of Freemason history as old as Queensland. The 1930s heritage-listed building is still the centre of Freemason activity in Queensland today, yet its history and architectural intrigue remain a mystery to many. Built as a shrine and monument to accommodate large Masonic events, the grandeur of the Temple’s ceremonial spaces, particularly the Grand Hall and the Court of Remembrance around the Memorial Urn, is stunning.
Designed by Lange Powell, himself a Freemason, during 1928-1930, the Temple was built solely from Queensland materials – sandstone from Helidon and marble from Chillagoe in north Queensland, while its furniture was built on-site during construction using local cedar, maple and silky-oak timber.
It originally cost $260,000 to build and is today heritage listed with a value of more than $14,000,000.
The United Grand Lodge of Queensland’s Deputy Grand Secretary Graham Schulz said the lodge was thrilled to be part of the Brisbane Open House. “We are very proud to be part of Brisbane’s living history network, having celebrated our 150 years last year. We are as old as Queensland itself.”
Ambassadors sought for fundraising quest
COMMUNITY Noticeboard
The Leukaemia Foundation of Queensland is seeking energetic, innovative and dedicated people across the state willing to meet the challenge of raising money in their local community as part of the Foundation's fundraising Quest.
The Foundation’s Regional Community Fundraiser for Greater Brisbane North, Kathleen Reid, (pictured) said she was now recruiting potential Quest Ambassadors for the fundraising program running until 24 June 2011.
Ms Reid said anyone – male or female – contemplating becoming a Quest Ambassador should be aged between 12 and 85 as at 25 June this year.“All you need are bright ideas and lots of energy for raising funds.
Previous Ambassadors have organised fashion parades, luncheons, golf days, sell merchandise and shopping spree raffle tickets or host charity auctions,” she said. “It’s a very direct and satisfying way to support the Leukaemia Foundation and the patients and families it assists every day." Ms Reid said the Quest was one of the Foundation’s major fundraising events.
“Quest has been held every year since 1983 and in that time has raised an estimated $27 million for the Leukaemia Foundation,” she said.
“The money raised is directed towards helping patients and their families and funding medical research projects.” Anyone interested in being a Quest Ambassador should phone 1800 804 444 or Kathleen Reid on 3318 4458 or 0402 386 218 or visit the foundation’s website www.leukaemia.org.au.
Got a drug problem?
Many recovering addicts have found that it is possible to live without the use of drugs with the help of Narcotics Anonymous (NA).If you are still using and can’t stop ,we can help.Narcotics Anonymous is a non profit fellowship of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem.We are recovering addicts who meet regulary to help each other stay clean.The Narcotics Anonymous message is "that an addict,any addict,can stop using drugs,lose the desire to use and find a new way to live".For information about meeting times and locations call our 24hr help line on 3391 5045 or visit our website at www.na.org.au
The Leukaemia Foundation of Queensland is seeking energetic, innovative and dedicated people across the state willing to meet the challenge of raising money in their local community as part of the Foundation's fundraising Quest.
The Foundation’s Regional Community Fundraiser for Greater Brisbane North, Kathleen Reid, (pictured) said she was now recruiting potential Quest Ambassadors for the fundraising program running until 24 June 2011.
Ms Reid said anyone – male or female – contemplating becoming a Quest Ambassador should be aged between 12 and 85 as at 25 June this year.“All you need are bright ideas and lots of energy for raising funds.
Previous Ambassadors have organised fashion parades, luncheons, golf days, sell merchandise and shopping spree raffle tickets or host charity auctions,” she said. “It’s a very direct and satisfying way to support the Leukaemia Foundation and the patients and families it assists every day." Ms Reid said the Quest was one of the Foundation’s major fundraising events.
“Quest has been held every year since 1983 and in that time has raised an estimated $27 million for the Leukaemia Foundation,” she said.
“The money raised is directed towards helping patients and their families and funding medical research projects.” Anyone interested in being a Quest Ambassador should phone 1800 804 444 or Kathleen Reid on 3318 4458 or 0402 386 218 or visit the foundation’s website www.leukaemia.org.au.
Got a drug problem?
Many recovering addicts have found that it is possible to live without the use of drugs with the help of Narcotics Anonymous (NA).If you are still using and can’t stop ,we can help.Narcotics Anonymous is a non profit fellowship of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem.We are recovering addicts who meet regulary to help each other stay clean.The Narcotics Anonymous message is "that an addict,any addict,can stop using drugs,lose the desire to use and find a new way to live".For information about meeting times and locations call our 24hr help line on 3391 5045 or visit our website at www.na.org.au
Where am I?
Seeing street art is in the news at the moment, we thought we’d ask where this piece of legally commissioned and much-admired wallwork is?
If you think you know the answer tell us and you’ll have the chance to win a $60 prize voucher to enjoy some tucker and a drink at the Brunswick Hotel in New Farm. Email your answer to editor@theindependent.com.au to reach us no later than 5pm on Friday week, 24 September 2010. Or drop us the answer in the post by the same deadline to PO Box 476 Valley Q 4006.
One lucky winner will be off to the Brunnie on us. Bon appetit!
Winner of last issue’s competition was PAUL OKON who correctly named the building top feature we ran as being part of the Alliance Hotel in Spring Hill.
Whitsundays worth a look
PROPERTY NEWS
Investors seeking to capitalise on low sales activity can snap up a bargain in the Whitsunday property market, according to new research released by PRDnationwide.
House prices have dropped by 7.4 per cent over the six months leading up to March 2010 – to record a median price of $455,000. However, given the strong performance of this market over the past 10 years, this median still represents a very strong growth of 10.8 per cent per annum despite the recent fall in demand.
Jim Midgley, PRDnationwide managing director, said the latest finding revealed that the Whitsundays and Airlie Beach Area makes owning your dream home more attainable for those on a budget.
“Due to the price growth being stalled, the Whitsunday property market demand has softened considerably,” he said.
“To the smart investor who is in the situation to ride out the bottom of the cycle, now is the time to pick up bargains in one of Australia’s premier beachside destinations.” Report author, PRDnationwide research director Aaron Maskrey, said a resale analysis revealed houses sold within 2010 yielded annual capital growth figure of 5.5 per cent per annum for the region.
“The unit also market presents a fantastic opportunity for investors to capitalise on prices that are still below the peak experienced before the GFC,” Mr Maskrey said. The Whitsunday apartment market experienced a 10.8 per cent increase in median unit price to record $360,000.
Investors seeking to capitalise on low sales activity can snap up a bargain in the Whitsunday property market, according to new research released by PRDnationwide.
House prices have dropped by 7.4 per cent over the six months leading up to March 2010 – to record a median price of $455,000. However, given the strong performance of this market over the past 10 years, this median still represents a very strong growth of 10.8 per cent per annum despite the recent fall in demand.
Jim Midgley, PRDnationwide managing director, said the latest finding revealed that the Whitsundays and Airlie Beach Area makes owning your dream home more attainable for those on a budget.
“Due to the price growth being stalled, the Whitsunday property market demand has softened considerably,” he said.
“To the smart investor who is in the situation to ride out the bottom of the cycle, now is the time to pick up bargains in one of Australia’s premier beachside destinations.” Report author, PRDnationwide research director Aaron Maskrey, said a resale analysis revealed houses sold within 2010 yielded annual capital growth figure of 5.5 per cent per annum for the region.
“The unit also market presents a fantastic opportunity for investors to capitalise on prices that are still below the peak experienced before the GFC,” Mr Maskrey said. The Whitsunday apartment market experienced a 10.8 per cent increase in median unit price to record $360,000.
Distorted view from on high
PROPERTY News
With the current apartment boom and the trend to buy “off the plan” many buyers may find the view they saw on the brochure may be vastly different to what they end up with after having spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Australian Institute of Architects has warned.
Queensland state manager of Archicentre Ian Agnew said buying an apartment on the 15th floor of a highrise apartment building was a far different situation than purchasing a three bedroom home in the suburbs.
However, many people fail to understand the importance of nailing down every detail of their proposed apartment purchase before signing the contract of sale.
Mr Agnew said one of the biggest issues for people is just reading the plan and understanding just what 85 square metres of floor space really means in relation to space and how the living areas may connect with service areas such as the bathroom and laundry. “Even more important is which way will the living areas face? - Will they attract sunlight? - Will the view be across a park or the bay as featured in the brochure, or will you be looking straight at the wall a few metres away of the high rise building next door?”
Mr Agnew said Archicentre, well known for its pre-purchase housing inspections, is also carrying out an increasing number of 'Off The Plan Apartment Inspections' to provide people with an accurate assessment of what they are actually buying. The “Off the Plan Apartment Inspections” is where the architect would attend the display unit with the client and help them assess the floor plan and specifications for the apartment.
“These inspections assist the apartment buyer establish many basics such as whether the display unit they are being shown is the standard unit or premium unit with the upmarket kitchen and bathroom appliances and fittings, the standard of tiling and even the number of coats of paint.
“The heights of ceilings in off the plan buying is a key issue, especially as the floor space is usually comparatively small when compared to a house. It is important to have the same measurements which are in the display unit written into the contract of sale for the apartment being purchased.
“It is also important to establish in writing what is included in the apartment such as carpets and window furnishings or blinds, and what is an optional extra. Insulation in the apartment and noise barriers from neighbouring apartments, and double glazing on the windows also need to be considered.
“Where people are wanting to combine two smaller adjoining apartments as an investment and lifestyle strategy having a larger apartment at first and then scaling back to close one off to rent for retirement income in the future, it is vital to ensure these modifications can be built into the original design so they are cost effective in the future.”
Mr Agnew said “off the plan” buyers should not only be interested in the construction of their own apartment but should also look at the community facilities being provided within the apartment and the standards of construction as they will become responsible for any legal issues and repairs once they take ownership through the Owners Corporation. Larger apartment towers often provide facilities such as swimming pools and gyms for the residents.
“The major issue for anyone buying apartment 'off the plan' is to seek independent professional advice to ensure they are well informed, as once they sign on the dotted line buying 'off the plan' it is extremely difficult to reverse the decision when their apartment is built and the final payment is required,” Mr Agnew said.
With the current apartment boom and the trend to buy “off the plan” many buyers may find the view they saw on the brochure may be vastly different to what they end up with after having spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Australian Institute of Architects has warned.
Queensland state manager of Archicentre Ian Agnew said buying an apartment on the 15th floor of a highrise apartment building was a far different situation than purchasing a three bedroom home in the suburbs.
However, many people fail to understand the importance of nailing down every detail of their proposed apartment purchase before signing the contract of sale.
Mr Agnew said one of the biggest issues for people is just reading the plan and understanding just what 85 square metres of floor space really means in relation to space and how the living areas may connect with service areas such as the bathroom and laundry. “Even more important is which way will the living areas face? - Will they attract sunlight? - Will the view be across a park or the bay as featured in the brochure, or will you be looking straight at the wall a few metres away of the high rise building next door?”
Mr Agnew said Archicentre, well known for its pre-purchase housing inspections, is also carrying out an increasing number of 'Off The Plan Apartment Inspections' to provide people with an accurate assessment of what they are actually buying. The “Off the Plan Apartment Inspections” is where the architect would attend the display unit with the client and help them assess the floor plan and specifications for the apartment.
“These inspections assist the apartment buyer establish many basics such as whether the display unit they are being shown is the standard unit or premium unit with the upmarket kitchen and bathroom appliances and fittings, the standard of tiling and even the number of coats of paint.
“The heights of ceilings in off the plan buying is a key issue, especially as the floor space is usually comparatively small when compared to a house. It is important to have the same measurements which are in the display unit written into the contract of sale for the apartment being purchased.
“It is also important to establish in writing what is included in the apartment such as carpets and window furnishings or blinds, and what is an optional extra. Insulation in the apartment and noise barriers from neighbouring apartments, and double glazing on the windows also need to be considered.
“Where people are wanting to combine two smaller adjoining apartments as an investment and lifestyle strategy having a larger apartment at first and then scaling back to close one off to rent for retirement income in the future, it is vital to ensure these modifications can be built into the original design so they are cost effective in the future.”
Mr Agnew said “off the plan” buyers should not only be interested in the construction of their own apartment but should also look at the community facilities being provided within the apartment and the standards of construction as they will become responsible for any legal issues and repairs once they take ownership through the Owners Corporation. Larger apartment towers often provide facilities such as swimming pools and gyms for the residents.
“The major issue for anyone buying apartment 'off the plan' is to seek independent professional advice to ensure they are well informed, as once they sign on the dotted line buying 'off the plan' it is extremely difficult to reverse the decision when their apartment is built and the final payment is required,” Mr Agnew said.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
A case of unbalanced reporting
FROM MY CORNER .... with Ann Brunswick
Thankfully the dancing in the streets that accompanied the final decision of two federal independent MPs to announce their choice of party to lead our nation has now died down. Honestly, it was almost impossible for me to steer my trusty Land Rover home on that afternoon after being forced to navigate around and through mountains of ticker-tape, balloons, and empty champagne bottles.
It wasn’t that people particularly wanted Julia Gillard and her Labor Party to stay on the treasury benches, it was just a display of sheer public exuberance at the fact we now have a federal government at all. Yes, don’t worry, all that was a joke. In fact most of my acquaintances had become quite accustomed to having no federal government at all.
Many wondered why, if we could stumble along without one for the best part of three weeks, why not for the next three years? But that is now not to be.
Which brings me to the treatment the online news site brisbanetimes.com.au gave to the news last Tuesday that Julia Gillard would continue as our PM. As you are by now no doubt aware, NSW independent MP Tony Windsor was first to make a few brief remarks that signalled his support for a Labor government. He was followed by fellow independent Rob Oakeshott whose speech revealing his support for Labor prompted, according to usually reliable sources, a phone call from Fidel Castro urging him to get to the point.
But, as soon as Mr Oakeshott made his intentions clear, internet news sites splashed the result. In the case of brisbanetimes.com.au they accompanied their story with a graphic featuring scales and images of Julia Gillard and Opposition leader Tony Abbott (above).
Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to grasp the concept entirely, delivering a graphic that showed Abbott outweighing Gillard by a considerable degree. To my mind Gillard, as the winner of the independents’ support, should have outweighed Abbott. Or was it some subliminal embrace on the part of the Fairfax media group of Abbott’s continued assertions that the Coalition parties gained more votes and more seats at the August 21 poll and should have been entitled to first crack at forming a government?
***
Speaking of websites, The Courier-Mail, like other news organisations is constantly in search of fresh content for its own site. But to my mind it seems they need to keep a closer eye on what they upload. Of course videos are a popular way to attract visitors to your site as well as keeping them there.
The more interesting videos you have on your site the more people will click on them and drive up the number of visitor numbers which in turn you can show advertisers to justify you ad rates.
Well the other night my eye spied a video on the Courier’s website about a new apartment development at Milton. So naturally a few clicks of my mouse took me to it. The video was obviously supplied by the property developer and was an animated flyover of a new high-rise apartment block being built next to Milton railway station across from the famous Fourex brewery.
It was quite short but mildly interesting because it gave me a fairly good idea of how the proposed new apartment block will loom 30 storeys over its neighbours. But there was also a vague sense in the back of my mind that something was missing from the video.
A repeat viewing soon revealed what it was – the huge chimney stacks that themselves have loomed over the suburb for decades. I guess the developer just forgot they were there. Just like they forgot they had promised to build their development over the railway line but were allowed to built it next to the station because it was cheaper. And our brave civic and state leaders let them.
***
Back on the federal election briefly. Were you one of the people convinced by the commentariat to protest against the sacking of Queenslander Kevin Rudd as PM? Or for that matter, were you swayed by those suggesting it would be a fine idea to make your vote a protest one against the arguably lamentable Bligh government.
Well, guess what? You’ve woken up this morning with Anna Bligh still as Premier and hospital orderly. You’ve woken up and Kevin Rudd has still been sacked as PM – as the federal ALP caucus had every right to do under the laws of that party and the land, and a move which most sensible commentators say avoided a total rout of Labor at the polls.
If you voted against Labor because you seriously thought they hadn’t done a good job, I mightn’t have a single bone to pick with you.
But if you are one of those people silly enough to have wasted your federal vote in such a mindless way, for such stupid reasons, take a bow! You’ve still got Anna, Kevin’s still not the PM, you’ve wasted a vote you get only once every three years to make a difference federally, and most importantly, you’ve still got a Labor Government nationally.
One, I suspect, that will vehemently deny otherwise but who no longer gives a flying rat’s about the Sunshine State and its citizens.
There’s no treason why this can’t work
POLITICS .... with Mungo MacCallum
Treason doth never prosper. What’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.
Sir John Harrington was clearly familiar with the code of the Australian Labor Party. The mob who brought down their leader on June 24 have indeed prospered, and anyone who now accuses them of an act of treachery runs a severe risk of kneecapping.
In some cases inviting the hangmen to the feast was probably justified. Bill Shorten has long been regarded as one of Labor’s brighter young Turks – even as a potential prime minister himself – so his ascent into the ministry was inevitable. Mark Arbib is more of a borderline case. He wasn’t responsible for any serious screw ups in Employment Participation and so deserved to retain his place as a junior minister. Whether he had earned a promotion involving extra and rather more serious responsibilities is, of course another question. And then we come to his fellow sinister senators, Don Farrell and David Feeney.
They have become parliamentary secretaries, hardly the height of power. But hey, it’s the first step up the greasy totem pole, and given that neither has ever shown the slightest interest or aptitude for anything other than conspiracy and self-aggrandisement, other more talented aspirants may well feel aggrieved.
Given that any hint of grievance in a minority government can easily escalate into terminal conflict, Julia Gillard is going to have to display quite extraordinary tact and diplomacy in dealing with it. And that applies in spades when it comes to the independents who gave her the numbers to form government in the first place.
It should not be forgotten that three of the four are themselves turncoats. Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott deserted the National Party and have never been forgiven for it, and never will be; as a result they are sensitive to the point of paranoia. There are hardheads in the ALP who are deeply apprehensive about their political stability. There is a Labor adage that a man who will rat once will rat again. For the moment they have prospered beyond their wildest dreams but this does not mean they will remain satisfied for three years.
And then there is Andrew Wilkie, an even looser cannon. Wilkie was once a member of the Liberal Party, then became a fervent Green; he is now in the Labor camp. At least he, like the archetypal serial rat Billy Hughes, has so far drawn the line at joining the Country Party, now the Nationals; but he can hardly be said to have settled down.
And while the fourth evangelist, Adam Bandt, seems at least to be firmly committed to his role as a Green collaborator with the government, his party is full of fanatics who will be urging him to push Labor to its limits and far beyond. The party room will be a constantly seething stew of competing interests and egos with the potential to boil over at the slightest miscalculation on the part of the chef. And Gillard is notoriously lacking in the skills of the kitchen.
This is not to say that the exercise is an impossible one. Minority governments are, after all, the natural state of democracy. Many countries have never known anything else and their diverse coalitions have not only survived but have proved remarkably effective.
It should not be forgotten that even Australia is government by coalitions more often than not; we have only recently emerged from 11 years of one. Few people noticed because the senior partner, the Liberals, sat so firmly on the junior Nationals that they seldom emerged as a separate voice. But John Howard in fact led a minority party.
In one sense Gillard is in a better position. Labor, as is almost always the case, is the largest single party in parliament and the most disciplined. If it can get through the next three years as a stable and effective administration it will have indeed proved itself as the natural party of government.
The biggest worry is that it will be too concerned about stability and not enough about effectiveness. And in this context it should summarily dismiss and ignore the querulous bleating from the opposition losers and their media cheer squad that Labor’s hold on office is somehow illegitimate.
There is only one test of legitimacy: the ability to command a majority of votes in the House of Representatives. Everything else is irrelevant. But even on the pseudo tests put forward by Abbott and his fellow innumerates Labor wins.
In its own right it holds as many seats as the Liberals and National combined; they cannot claim Tony Crook, who sits on the cross benches. Labor won more primary votes than any other single party – nearly 8 per cent more than the Liberals. The progressive parties, Labor and the Greens, easily outpolled the conservatives – the Liberals and Nationals. And when the two-party preferred vote is finalised, Labor will be comfortably ahead on that too.
By Abbott’s own reckoning, this gives Gillard more legitimacy than Howard had in1998 or for that matter Bob Hawke had in 1990 or even the sainted Sir Robert Menzies in 1954. But In any case, Abbott’s own reckoning is of no public interest.
Gillard is Prime Minister and will remain so until she loses the numbers in the lower house.
The silliest single verdict on the subject came, predictably, from Barnaby Joyce. Summing it up for his electors, he informed them gravely: “To be honest we won but the independents just didn’t agree.” Well actually, senator, the voters didn’t either. Talk about déjà vu: in 1974 the hapless Liberal leader Bill Snedden took a few seats from Gough Whitlam’s Labor government, but not enough. For months he went around the country assuring the punters: “We didn’t win, but we didn’t lose.”
Well, mate, just look at the scoreboard, Read about it in the newspapers.
And we don’t mean last Tuesday’s Daily Telegraph, whose front page consisted of a truly vicious cartoon of Julia Gillard and the headline: The Big Steal. Not only rancid but wrong. You lost. Get over it.
Treason doth never prosper. What’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.
Sir John Harrington was clearly familiar with the code of the Australian Labor Party. The mob who brought down their leader on June 24 have indeed prospered, and anyone who now accuses them of an act of treachery runs a severe risk of kneecapping.
In some cases inviting the hangmen to the feast was probably justified. Bill Shorten has long been regarded as one of Labor’s brighter young Turks – even as a potential prime minister himself – so his ascent into the ministry was inevitable. Mark Arbib is more of a borderline case. He wasn’t responsible for any serious screw ups in Employment Participation and so deserved to retain his place as a junior minister. Whether he had earned a promotion involving extra and rather more serious responsibilities is, of course another question. And then we come to his fellow sinister senators, Don Farrell and David Feeney.
They have become parliamentary secretaries, hardly the height of power. But hey, it’s the first step up the greasy totem pole, and given that neither has ever shown the slightest interest or aptitude for anything other than conspiracy and self-aggrandisement, other more talented aspirants may well feel aggrieved.
Given that any hint of grievance in a minority government can easily escalate into terminal conflict, Julia Gillard is going to have to display quite extraordinary tact and diplomacy in dealing with it. And that applies in spades when it comes to the independents who gave her the numbers to form government in the first place.
It should not be forgotten that three of the four are themselves turncoats. Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott deserted the National Party and have never been forgiven for it, and never will be; as a result they are sensitive to the point of paranoia. There are hardheads in the ALP who are deeply apprehensive about their political stability. There is a Labor adage that a man who will rat once will rat again. For the moment they have prospered beyond their wildest dreams but this does not mean they will remain satisfied for three years.
And then there is Andrew Wilkie, an even looser cannon. Wilkie was once a member of the Liberal Party, then became a fervent Green; he is now in the Labor camp. At least he, like the archetypal serial rat Billy Hughes, has so far drawn the line at joining the Country Party, now the Nationals; but he can hardly be said to have settled down.
And while the fourth evangelist, Adam Bandt, seems at least to be firmly committed to his role as a Green collaborator with the government, his party is full of fanatics who will be urging him to push Labor to its limits and far beyond. The party room will be a constantly seething stew of competing interests and egos with the potential to boil over at the slightest miscalculation on the part of the chef. And Gillard is notoriously lacking in the skills of the kitchen.
This is not to say that the exercise is an impossible one. Minority governments are, after all, the natural state of democracy. Many countries have never known anything else and their diverse coalitions have not only survived but have proved remarkably effective.
It should not be forgotten that even Australia is government by coalitions more often than not; we have only recently emerged from 11 years of one. Few people noticed because the senior partner, the Liberals, sat so firmly on the junior Nationals that they seldom emerged as a separate voice. But John Howard in fact led a minority party.
In one sense Gillard is in a better position. Labor, as is almost always the case, is the largest single party in parliament and the most disciplined. If it can get through the next three years as a stable and effective administration it will have indeed proved itself as the natural party of government.
The biggest worry is that it will be too concerned about stability and not enough about effectiveness. And in this context it should summarily dismiss and ignore the querulous bleating from the opposition losers and their media cheer squad that Labor’s hold on office is somehow illegitimate.
There is only one test of legitimacy: the ability to command a majority of votes in the House of Representatives. Everything else is irrelevant. But even on the pseudo tests put forward by Abbott and his fellow innumerates Labor wins.
In its own right it holds as many seats as the Liberals and National combined; they cannot claim Tony Crook, who sits on the cross benches. Labor won more primary votes than any other single party – nearly 8 per cent more than the Liberals. The progressive parties, Labor and the Greens, easily outpolled the conservatives – the Liberals and Nationals. And when the two-party preferred vote is finalised, Labor will be comfortably ahead on that too.
By Abbott’s own reckoning, this gives Gillard more legitimacy than Howard had in1998 or for that matter Bob Hawke had in 1990 or even the sainted Sir Robert Menzies in 1954. But In any case, Abbott’s own reckoning is of no public interest.
Gillard is Prime Minister and will remain so until she loses the numbers in the lower house.
The silliest single verdict on the subject came, predictably, from Barnaby Joyce. Summing it up for his electors, he informed them gravely: “To be honest we won but the independents just didn’t agree.” Well actually, senator, the voters didn’t either. Talk about déjà vu: in 1974 the hapless Liberal leader Bill Snedden took a few seats from Gough Whitlam’s Labor government, but not enough. For months he went around the country assuring the punters: “We didn’t win, but we didn’t lose.”
Well, mate, just look at the scoreboard, Read about it in the newspapers.
And we don’t mean last Tuesday’s Daily Telegraph, whose front page consisted of a truly vicious cartoon of Julia Gillard and the headline: The Big Steal. Not only rancid but wrong. You lost. Get over it.
Lisbeth fires up .... again
FILM ... with Tim Milfull
The Girl who Played with Fire (MA15+)
Director: Daniel Alfredson
Stars: Noomi Rapace, Peter Andersson
Rating: 3.5/5
129-minutes, screening from 23 Sept
The second in Stieg Larsson’s The Girl who… series comes to Australian screens next week, and armies of the books’ fans will be loyally tromping into cinemas to see how Lisbeth and Mikael deal with their latest adventure.
I’m one of the guilty few that hasn’t read the novels, but I’m well aware that the plot of the film is necessarily less complex than the novel. Despite this, director Daniel Alfredson, who helmed the first adaptation, offers an even more tense ride this time, putting both his cast and the audience through some harrowing paces. For the benefit of the ignorant, Lisbeth (Noomi Rapace) returns to Sweden from her lush hideaway in the tropics to ensure the continued subjugation of her former tormenter and legal guardian Bjurman (Peter Andersson).
But the latter has some shady connections that mean Lisbeth’s homecoming is noticed by the wrong people, and soon she is framed for murder and on the run. Mikael Blomqvist, fresh from his incarceration for defamation, and on the hunt for new leads for a story about sex slavery, is suddenly concerned for Lisbeth’s safety, as she is credited for one murder after another.
The good news – and there’s no bad news– is that Alfredson once again succeeds in unnerving the audience with tight plotting, freakish scenarios, and two or three abhorrent new villains.
David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en, and The Social Network) is currently filming the Hollywood version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, with Daniel Craig taking on the Mikael Blomkvist role, and relative unknown Rooney Mara wearing Lisbeth’s tattoo.
How and whether Fincher and Oscar-winning screenwriter, Steven Zaillian transport a very Scandinavian story to US shores remains to be seen, but they’ll have to work hard to satisfy Larsson’s Legion.
Ethnics targeted with ethics and humour
The Reluctant Infidel (MA15+)
Director: Josh Appignanesi
Stars: Omid Djalili, Archie Panjabi
Rating: 3.5/5
98-minutes, screening from 16th Sept
There’s not exactly a surplus of comedies about Moslems at the moment but the fact that there are two playing on Brisbane screens this week is interesting – and take note, these aren’t derogatory films but affectionate and sometimes poignant portrayals of a much maligned section of our community.
While Chris Morris’s Four Lions tackles the much more controversial territory of Islamic fundamentalism and terrorist acts with very funny (and really quite tragic) consequences, director Josh Appignanesi takes a more restrained route, concentrating on the impact of fundamentalism on a relatively ordinary Moslem family.
Taxicab company-owner and lapsed-Moslem, Mahmoud (stand-up comedian, Omid Djalili) delights in tormenting his Pakistani wife, Saamiya (Archie Panjabi) by teaching his young daughter jihadi slogans and arming her with a plastic scimitar. Their twentysomething son, Rashid (Amit Shah) is desperate to marry the beautiful Uzma (Soraya Radford), but knows his new step-father-in-law, the ultra-radical celebrity cleric, Arshad El Masri (Yigal Naor) will drive his very moderate father nuts.
Surprisingly, when Mahmoud finds out about his soon to be in-law, he eventually becomes the epitome of patience and understanding, determined to keep things smooth for his son. But things become complicated when Mahmoud finds his birth certificate in his late mother’s belongings, and realises that he was adopted, and worse, from Jewish birth parents.
With a wedding looming, and the prospect of reuniting with his long-lost father aggravated by a very stubborn rabbi (played to hilarious effect by Little Britain’s Matt Lucas), Mahmoud’s only hope lies in calling on the misanthropic cabbie, Lenny (The West Wing’s Richard Schiff) for guidance in how to be a good Jew. All the elements are here for a very funny film, and while Appignanesi and his cast and crew are careful to treat all of their ethnic targets with respect, they still manage to find the amusing sides to these cultural collisions.
A fine figment of the imagination
The Tree (M)
Director: Julie Bertucelli
Stars: Aden Young, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Morgana Davies
Rating: 3/5
97-minutes, screening from 30 Sept.
Writer-director Julie Bertucelli’s beautiful 2003 film Since Otar Left focussed on migration in Europe. Almost seven years later, Bertucelli has resurfaced, directing The Tree, a French-Australian production filmed entirely in and around south-west Queensland and adapted from Judy Pascoe’s novel, Our Father Who Art in the Tree.
The Tree has a spectacular opening, with Aden Young’s Peter driving a Queenslander from the Outback to the coast. After picking up his charming young daughter, Simone (Morgana Davies) from a rail siding, where she is playing chicken with trains, he returns home, and life forever changes for the O’Neill family.
Charlotte Gainsbourg plays Peter’s wife, Dawn, and within minutes of the credits, her character is numb with depression, and almost unaware of her kids’ existence.
While the nearly adult Tim (Christian Byers) struggles to keep his family together, and the much younger Charlie (Gabriel Gotting) worries about his mother, Simone realises that the massive Moreton Bay Fig shading their sprawling house might just offer a connection with their missing father.
Bertucelli draws an unusually naïve performance from the well-respected Gainsbourg as Dawn, but The Tree is really much more about how the O’Neill children cope with grief and loss, and the three young actors deliver excellent performances to complement those of the adults, including the gruff, but empathic Marton Csokas as George.
This is a charming, beautifully shot film, but be quick and see this one, as films like this don’t hang around too long in Australian cinemas.
Australia’s other Red Centre
WINE ... with David Bray
Coonawarra came to town and it was good. It was good to see that this long-established and highly respected wine-producing area is determined not to be left behind by comparative newcomers.
Coonawarra – from a local Aboriginal word meaning honeysuckle – is the source of some our best wines, especially the reds. So much so that the enthusiasts like to call it Australia’s other Red Centre.
The reputation is built on a cigar-shaped ribbon of red soil, about 27 kilometres long and 1.8 kilometres wide. This long skinny strip contains the most sought-after vineyard dirt in the country. The locals call it terra rossa and reckon that when the sun hits the soil, it positively glows a vibrant rusty red.
But wait, there’s more: this fabulous topsoil covers a bedrock of porous limestone, helping winter drainage and summer moisture retention. Over many years this has made Coonawarra one of the world’s great cabernet sauvignon regions, producing low-yielding and intensely flavoured grapes, helped by the cool to moderate climate of long dry autumn days and cool nights. This happens quite a long way from the big smoke, in south-east South Australia, about 375 kilometres from Adelaide and a bit more from Melbourne.
There are about 20 wineries here, a few more cellar door outlets. Some of them have been here for a long time, by Australian standards.
Go back to 1890, when the enterprising settler John Riddoch set up the Coonawarra Fruit Colony. The son of a Scottish crofter, Riddoch made his money as a storekeeper on the Ballarat gold fields before buying Yallum Estate from where he represented his district in parliament and entertained members of the royal family.
Good times and ordinary ones followed. In 1936 a glut of grapes, especially from irrigated areas, together with Coonawarra’s distance from the market, led to the government offering Coonawarra growers $9 an acre to rip up their vines and convert the land to dairy farms. By the end of the 30s, only 600 acres still stood.
Things really began looking up with major development here, as in the Australian wine industry generally, in the early 1960s. In 1993 the first moves took place to have the Coonawarra region determined as a Geographical Indication in Australia. This designation describes a specific region, protecting the integrity of the label and safeguarding consumers. Big controversy, but that’s another story.
There are now about 13,590 acres of vineyards planted, half of them to cabernet sauvignon. The southern end of the Coonawarra terra rossa soil enters the township of Penola, which has been home to such notable people as the poets John Shaw Neilson, Will Ogilvey, Adam Lindsay Gordon, the prominent theologians Mother Mary MacKillop (soon to be Australia’s first saint), Father Julian Tennyson Woods, the explorer Larry Wells and later, the noted Australian arctic explorer John Rymill.
As I said earlier, all this happens quite some way from Brisbane town and those southern cities. So the grape growers and winemakers have to co-operate and work particularly hard to promote their wares.
Hence the Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations and Barrel Series Wine Auction, which are scheduled for October 15 to 17. The Coonawarra Vignerons Association brought its people to Brisbane (and to the other capitals) to showcase their wares, specifically more 100 wines, including those of vintage 2009 that will be auctioned. There will be 20 cases of each wine on offer, sold in five-case lots. The average price last year was $60 a bottle.
Here were names you would know and some you might not. Seven of them were chosen for this year’s auction to “represent the vintage and style variations within Coonawarra”. They are DiGiorgio Family, Katnook, Lindemans, Penley, Reschke, Wynns, Yalumba The Menzies. The others on show were Balnaves, Banks Thargo, Blok Estate, Bowen Estate, Brand’s Laira, Flint’s, Highbank, Hollick, Hundreds of Coma, Jim Barry, Kidman, Koonwarra, Ladbroke Grove, Leconfield, Magellan, Parker, Patrick T, Penley Estate, Petaluma, Punters Corner, Raidis Estate, Redman, Rymill, Zema.
They are an impressive lot, wines of real quality. One more thing. Proceeds from the auction go to prostate research, a subject quite close to my heart.
• More information about the cabernet weekend, including the auction is at www.coonawarra.org
Coonawarra came to town and it was good. It was good to see that this long-established and highly respected wine-producing area is determined not to be left behind by comparative newcomers.
Coonawarra – from a local Aboriginal word meaning honeysuckle – is the source of some our best wines, especially the reds. So much so that the enthusiasts like to call it Australia’s other Red Centre.
The reputation is built on a cigar-shaped ribbon of red soil, about 27 kilometres long and 1.8 kilometres wide. This long skinny strip contains the most sought-after vineyard dirt in the country. The locals call it terra rossa and reckon that when the sun hits the soil, it positively glows a vibrant rusty red.
But wait, there’s more: this fabulous topsoil covers a bedrock of porous limestone, helping winter drainage and summer moisture retention. Over many years this has made Coonawarra one of the world’s great cabernet sauvignon regions, producing low-yielding and intensely flavoured grapes, helped by the cool to moderate climate of long dry autumn days and cool nights. This happens quite a long way from the big smoke, in south-east South Australia, about 375 kilometres from Adelaide and a bit more from Melbourne.
There are about 20 wineries here, a few more cellar door outlets. Some of them have been here for a long time, by Australian standards.
Go back to 1890, when the enterprising settler John Riddoch set up the Coonawarra Fruit Colony. The son of a Scottish crofter, Riddoch made his money as a storekeeper on the Ballarat gold fields before buying Yallum Estate from where he represented his district in parliament and entertained members of the royal family.
Good times and ordinary ones followed. In 1936 a glut of grapes, especially from irrigated areas, together with Coonawarra’s distance from the market, led to the government offering Coonawarra growers $9 an acre to rip up their vines and convert the land to dairy farms. By the end of the 30s, only 600 acres still stood.
Things really began looking up with major development here, as in the Australian wine industry generally, in the early 1960s. In 1993 the first moves took place to have the Coonawarra region determined as a Geographical Indication in Australia. This designation describes a specific region, protecting the integrity of the label and safeguarding consumers. Big controversy, but that’s another story.
There are now about 13,590 acres of vineyards planted, half of them to cabernet sauvignon. The southern end of the Coonawarra terra rossa soil enters the township of Penola, which has been home to such notable people as the poets John Shaw Neilson, Will Ogilvey, Adam Lindsay Gordon, the prominent theologians Mother Mary MacKillop (soon to be Australia’s first saint), Father Julian Tennyson Woods, the explorer Larry Wells and later, the noted Australian arctic explorer John Rymill.
As I said earlier, all this happens quite some way from Brisbane town and those southern cities. So the grape growers and winemakers have to co-operate and work particularly hard to promote their wares.
Hence the Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations and Barrel Series Wine Auction, which are scheduled for October 15 to 17. The Coonawarra Vignerons Association brought its people to Brisbane (and to the other capitals) to showcase their wares, specifically more 100 wines, including those of vintage 2009 that will be auctioned. There will be 20 cases of each wine on offer, sold in five-case lots. The average price last year was $60 a bottle.
Here were names you would know and some you might not. Seven of them were chosen for this year’s auction to “represent the vintage and style variations within Coonawarra”. They are DiGiorgio Family, Katnook, Lindemans, Penley, Reschke, Wynns, Yalumba The Menzies. The others on show were Balnaves, Banks Thargo, Blok Estate, Bowen Estate, Brand’s Laira, Flint’s, Highbank, Hollick, Hundreds of Coma, Jim Barry, Kidman, Koonwarra, Ladbroke Grove, Leconfield, Magellan, Parker, Patrick T, Penley Estate, Petaluma, Punters Corner, Raidis Estate, Redman, Rymill, Zema.
They are an impressive lot, wines of real quality. One more thing. Proceeds from the auction go to prostate research, a subject quite close to my heart.
• More information about the cabernet weekend, including the auction is at www.coonawarra.org
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